You May Not Want It, But You Need It
by Musical Soul
Summary: She was going to kill herself if she kept working this hard. She needed to take a break. Sometimes he wondered if she spent nights at the lab every now and then. She was clearly exhausted. And he knew she wouldn't want his help, wouldn't want him to say anything. But she needed it. - part of the Break universe, oneshot


**A/N: Hello everyone! Woo for more Hirogo! I really really love this ship. They might be my favorite to write. Just so much fun, love their dynamic, love GoGo's personality (since it's so much like my own), just.. lots of awesome. Speaking of awesome, you guys rock. To everyone who read, reviewed, or favorited Break, thanks a ton! It puts a smile on my face to see you guys enjoying my stuff.**

 **This one is part of the Break universe, but this story happens before Break. In this one, Hiro is 15, and GoGo 17-18. In the main story, they were 20 and 22 respectively. So this story will be way before they're actually together, pretty close to the start of their close friendship. I wanted to show a moment between them that wasn't very romantically charged, though there is a little bit of it to tease you with ;) and as a bonus, there's more of the rest of the gang in this one too.**

 **If you haven't read Break, no worries. This can be read on its own. But it would be super cool if you'd read Break anyway ;D**

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You May Not Want It, But You Need It

Hiro pushed open the door to the main lab, a small box tucked under one arm. He dodged the majority of the students working on their projects and made his way over to where the rest of the team had taken up residence. They all pretty much shared one half of the lab, the nature of their experiments, and sometimes GoGo's attitude, keeping the rest of the students away. Hiro had taken over his brother's separate room, but he frequently made trips into the lab to help his friends out, or just to sit and chat with them.

They were now all on the last semester of their second year of college, Hiro having taken a few extra courses during the summer to catch up to the rest of them. If he was being honest, he could have sped through college just like he had everything else if they would let him take more hours each semester, but he decided it was worth it to go slow just so he could spend the time with his friends. And there were occasionally things that he'd had a few questions about; chemistry was never his strong suit, but Honey Lemon was more than happy to help. And Wasabi was always available to give his input on physics, and occasionally GoGo if she was in the mood. Hiro was really just as good at physics as they were, but he enjoyed the discussions they got into anyway.

He bypassed GoGo's station, seeing her bent over a table littered with notes and knowing that she wouldn't be in the mood to be bothered at the moment, and made his way to Fred's section of the room. Fred was stretched out in his armchair, for once not in the mascot suit, reading a comic book. He looked up when Hiro approached, grinning broadly and putting his comic down.

"Hiro, my man!" he said enthusiastically, hopping up to bump Hiro's fist. "What's up, little dude?"

Hiro grimaced, sending Fred an unamused expression. "One day you'll stop calling me that."

"Only when you stop being so short," Fred replied, reaching out to ruffle Hiro's hair and grinning smugly.

Hiro threw his free hand up in exasperation. "I've grown like five inches in the last year. I'm taller than GoGo now!" he protested, though he said the last part a little quieter so he wouldn't attract her attention. He warily sent a glance over his shoulder to see if she'd noticed him talking about her, sighing when he caught sight of her still bent over her notes.

Fred chuckled. "Yeah, but I'm still taller than you. And I can't call her short because she'd hit me," he added in a whisper.

Hiro laughed. "Yeah, she would." He shifted the box out from under his arm and rattled it slightly. "I have something for you," he baited, waving the box behind him out of Fred's reach.

"Oh! Oh! Is it a pair of laser goggles?!" Fred asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement.

 _I would hate to see those in your hands,_ Hiro thought to himself. He chuckled a little, then cleared his throat. "Well, no, but it is something pretty awesome. Let's go to Wasabi's station though, it has walls. Wanna keep everyone else from seeing it," he said quietly.

They walked across the room, stopping outside the line of Wasabi's station, watching him carefully arrange the tools he'd been using on his workbench. Fred was still bouncing excitedly, clearly impatient to see what Hiro had created for him.

"Hey, Wasabi," Hiro said, leaning casually against the wall, the mystery box still tucked under his arm. "How's the cloaking device coming?"

Wasabi smirked, then walked over to the table in the center of his room, picking up a small device that had been in the middle of the table. He fiddled with it for a moment, then took a few steps back from the table and held the device out in front of himself, pressing a small button on the side. The space where Wasabi was standing shimmered for a moment, and then the muscular man completely disappeared from view.

"Wow," Fred said, voice laced with awe. Hiro raised his eyebrows slightly, impressed.

Wasabi reappeared a moment later, glancing at the device in his hand before putting it back on the table. "I still have a bit of work to do on it. Every now and then it gets stuck in that shimmery phase, makes it look more more like a mirage. And it's a little sensitive to movement." Wasabi scratched his jaw and shrugged. "It's coming along though. What brings you two gentlemen over?"

Hiro held out the box. "Got some new tech for Fred. I wanted to show it off in place that was a bit more secluded. Mind if we borrow your space for a minute?"

"Nah, go ahead. Just, uh— mind the workbench," he added nervously, glancing at his carefully aligned tools.

"Sure," Hiro said, laughing a little. He walked over to the table in the center and set the box down gently, then raised an eyebrow at Fred, opening the box incredibly slowly.

"Oh, come on, man! Hurry up!" Fred said excitedly.

Hiro grinned and pulled the box open, reaching in and pulling out a tube that was about a foot long, with a handle attached on one side. Wasabi eyed it with his arms crossed, seemingly unimpressed. Fred grinned and moved closer though, turning his head to take it in from all angles.

"What is it?" he asked softly, his voice already filled with wonder, though Hiro hadn't shown him what it actually did yet.

"Stand back," Hiro warned, then held the tube out in front of himself parallel to the floor and pressed a button on the handle. A thin sheet of metal made of numerous interlocking pieces sprang out vertically in both directions, clicking into place after barely a second. It was a shield, approximately five feet tall in total. The metal was a shiny silver, though Hiro planned to paint it blue to match Fred's suit eventually.

"Whoa!" Fred said, then thrust his hands into the air in excitement. "A sign!"

Hiro laughed, handing over the "sign" so Fred could get a good look at it. "I have another one here, so you can have two of them. And I want to see if Honey Lemon can help me come up with a paint that sticks to the metal. Then we'll have it match your suit a bit better."

"Did I hear my name?" a feminine voice called. Hiro glanced up to see Honey Lemon poking her head around the wall separating Wasabi from the rest of the lab. She brightened when she saw what Fred was holding. "Wow, what's that, Freddie?" She made her way into the room, coming to stand beside the rest of them.

"Hiro made me this awesome sign," Fred said excitedly, giving it a bit of a spin.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Wasabi said, holding his hands out to stop Fred from doing it again. "No spinning in my station."

Hiro rolled his eyes with amusement, then glanced at Honey. "Two, actually. He spins them so well that I thought it would be a good addition to his suit. I wanted to see if you could help come up with a blue paint that sticks to the metal."

"I could probably do that," she said, nodding. She smiled as she watched Fred practically drool over his new tech. "Nice work, Hiro. Almost looks like something GoGo would design."

Hiro scratched the back of his head and shrugged sheepishly. "Well, she did help with the design a little. The way the pieces lock together was all her. But the mechanics of the release were mine. I guess it was a bit of a team effort."

Honey smiled again. "Well, you guys did great." She watched Fred press the button a few times, shrinking and expanding his shield, then glanced back toward Hiro and Wasabi. "Since it's about time to pack up, what do you guys say to going out for ice cream in a few?"

Fred pressed the button on his shield one last time, shrinking it back into its tube, and nodded enthusiastically. "Ice cream sounds awesome! I wanna try that chocolate-covered bacon kind this time."

Wasabi shuddered, then glanced at Honey. "That flavor sounds _entirely_ gross, but I'm down for ice cream. I was done for the day anyway."

Honey glanced at Hiro, who shrugged and nodded. She grinned at him, then started walking back toward her own workstation. "Great! Well, let's get going then! Just let me finish cleaning up really quick…don't want any explosions again," she said with a giggle. She stopped right at the edge of Wasabi's station for a moment and turned to glance at Hiro. "Hey, Hiro. Could you ask GoGo if she wants to come?"

Hiro rolled his eyes. They always got him to talk to GoGo these days. Apparently, he was the only one she listened to, even though she rarely did that. "Sure," he said, walking casually over to her station as Fred and Wasabi started making their way out of the lab. GoGo was still in nearly the exact same position, bent over pages of notes, a pencil stuck behind her ear and her chin resting in her hand. She was scowling at the paper she was reading, her eyes nearly reduced to slits. Hiro's stomach did an annoying flip for some reason.

Knowing that this talk would likely take a little while, Hiro walked over to one of the tables against the wall and hoisted himself up, sitting down with his legs dangling off the edge. He leaned back on his hands, his head tilted to the side, watching her. He knew she knew he was there. He also guessed that it wouldn't take her very long to say something to him.

Sure enough, about a minute later, she glanced up from her notes and turned her scowl in his direction. "Ass off my table, genius."

Hiro leaned forward and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at her. "Why? Am I getting the table dirty?" he sassed.

He'd learned a while back not to be intimidated by her. She was nearly all bark and very little bite. She could hold her own, there was no doubt about that, and she wouldn't think twice about punching someone if she thought they needed it. But for the most part, she was just incredibly sarcastic. Now, he was just as sarcastic with her as she was with everyone else. The first time he'd sent a snarky remark her way, she'd been completely thrown off balance. She had blinked at him for a few seconds, flushed, and then shifted her gaze away from his, completely mellowed for the rest of the conversation. He still threw her off balance occasionally, but for the most part they bantered back and forth now.

GoGo rolled her eyes. "No, but your stupid is contaminating it."

Hiro laughed as she glanced back down at her notes, completely ignoring her and continuing to sit on the table. He waited a few seconds, glancing toward Honey's station to see the blonde putting away the last of her chemicals. After a moment, he glanced back at GoGo, leaning on his hands once more. "Hey. The rest of us are going for ice cream. You should come."

"Can't. Busy," she replied, reaching up for her pencil and scribbling something on her notes.

Hiro sighed. He'd figured that she would say that. She rarely did things with the group outside of helping with missions, only occasionally joining them for a night at Fred's or a lunch somewhere on Saturday. She was always busy, working on either her suit or her bike, or sometimes her most current project for school. This time, Hiro couldn't see any mag-lev discs anywhere, so he assumed that she was either studying for a test or working on something for a class. She worked harder than the rest of them, always had. Sometimes Hiro thought she worked _too_ hard.

Honey Lemon made her way over just then, standing timidly at the edge of the workspace. "You guys coming?" she asked, glancing in Hiro's direction.

Hiro sent her a reassuring smile. "We'll be ten minutes behind you," he said.

GoGo snapped her gaze up, sending him an irritated look. "I told you, genius, I'm—"

"I know," he interrupted, smiling at her, then glanced back at Honey. "Go on, Honey. We'll catch you up." He sent her a small wave as she made her way out of the lab, then turned his gaze back toward GoGo. She was staring at him as if she couldn't believe he would be so interfering, then shook her head and went back to her notes.

Hiro watched her carefully, noting the way the back of her hand occasionally flexed as she tightened her fist, catching a slight movement in her jaw as she gritted her teeth. He kept silent, knowing that she was a bit peeved at him, giving her time to cool off. After about five minutes of silence, he noticed a shift in her behavior. She didn't seem so irritated now, but she still wasn't in the best mood. Her shoulders were tense, her brow almost constantly furrowed, the skin around her eyes just slightly tight. She looked tired, overworked.

Hiro decided it was time to fight fire with fire. He crossed his arms again, plastering a serious look on his face, knowing that he had to be tough with her. "I'm giving you two minutes to find a stopping point, then we're leaving."

GoGo glanced up, scowling at him once more. "I'm serious, I'm—"

"Two minutes, GoGo," Hiro said, giving her a stern look. She blinked at him, then sighed and went back to her notes. Hiro knew that he hadn't won this quite yet. When her two minutes were up, she would protest. Actually, she would probably protest all the way out the door. He didn't care though; she needed to take a break. She was going to kill herself if she kept working this hard. Sometimes he wondered if she spent nights at the lab every now and then. He would occasionally come in in the mornings to see her already there, and she was always the last to leave.

When the two minutes were up, Hiro slid off the table. "All right, come on. Let's go."

GoGo slammed her pencil down on the table. "Look, genius, I'm not in the mood for your games. I have work to do."

Hiro frowned. "This isn't a game," he said, walking around the table and stopping right in front of her. He reached out to grab her arms just below the shoulder, turning her toward him. She inhaled a sharp breath and tensed up, attempting to take a step backward. Hiro tightened his grip just a little and held her in place. "You work too hard," he told her, catching her gaze as she looked up. "You are clearly exhausted. Sometimes I think you sleep at the lab. You're in here longer than any of us, and I know your classes don't give you that much work, because I'm in half of them. You're going to work yourself to death, GoGo. I know you like to stay busy, but I worry about you."

She blinked rapidly for a moment, staring at him. A rosy tint was starting to creep into her cheeks, and she looked like she was short of breath, so Hiro let go of her arms and let her back up.

"You can't keep doing this," Hiro said softly. "Technically, school rules say that the lab has to close up by five anyway, so I could just go to one of the professors to get you out of here. But I won't. I want you to choose to do it. Instead of spending all your time in here, spend it with us. The rest of the gang hangs out nearly every evening. We're always going out for pizza, or ice cream, or going over to Fred's, or chilling at the café. You join us sometimes, but I wish you'd do it more often. We're all worried about you."

GoGo's gaze was settled firmly on the floor between her feet. Her arms were crossed, but not in the usual defiant way; it seemed more like she was trying to protect herself, to hold herself together. Hiro took this as a good sign and kept going.

"I just don't want you to overwork yourself. You're stressed, I can tell. And you don't have to be. You're smart enough that I know you're breezing through all your classes. Projects are never hard for you. Tests aren't either. You ace everything. There's no reason for you to be so worked up, so busy." Hiro sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I care about you, okay? I just don't want—"

"Okay, okay," she said quickly, interrupting him. She glanced up and waved away the rest of his statement. "I'll come with you. And I'll back off, I'll chill a little. I'll hang out with the group. Whatever," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing a little more.

"Good," Hiro said, smiling. "Pack your stuff up and come on, it's been nearly exactly ten minutes and I told Honey we'd be about that far behind her."

GoGo shook her head a little, then began gathering up her notes, shoving them into a folder and stuffing them in her backpack. She threw it over one shoulder, then grabbed her bike and wheeled it along beside her as Hiro led the way out of the lab. She walked silently beside him for a minute, then sent him a wary glance. "How did you know I'd come?"

Hiro shrugged. "Just had a feeling," he said. Then he sent her a small smile, holding open a door for her as they made their way outside. "But I'd also been planning that little speech all day, and I figured that it would get to you." She huffed a little in response, focusing on the concrete in front of them as they walked. Hiro smiled, then took pity on her and changed the subject. "Gave Fred his new tech a bit ago. He loved them." She nodded and kept silent. Hiro rolled his eyes. "He totally called them signs, by the way, so you owe me ten bucks."

GoGo snorted and shook her head. "Sometimes I think his head is full of fluff."

"Nah, he just has a very active imagination," Hiro said.

He told her about Honey helping him paint the shields, then fell silent. The remainder of their walk to the ice cream parlor was quiet, but Hiro was used to that with her. She wasn't exactly the best at conversation. Actually, she preferred to keep quiet. He had a feeling that was just the way she was; of course, he also had a feeling that she wasn't comfortable talking very much, even with the gang. He hoped she would be some day, but he figured it would be a long time down the road.

Finally, they made it to the ice cream parlor. GoGo locked her bike up at a stand outside, then followed Hiro indoors. He made his way over to a booth by the windows, waving to the group as they walked up.

"Wow, Hiro," Honey said, glancing at her watch. "That was exactly ten minutes. How did you do that?"

Hiro grinned as he slid into the booth, scooting over to the window to give GoGo room to sit down beside him. "Waited ten minutes and then left," he said cheekily, not mentioning the conversation he'd had with GoGo. He knew it would make her uncomfortable. "She just had to finish up her notes, then she said she would come. Right, GoGo?"

She sent him a strange look as she slid into the booth beside him, then hummed in agreement and propped her elbow up on the table, placing her chin in her hand.

Honey sent Hiro a slightly wary glance before smiling at GoGo. "Well, we're glad you came, GoGo. It's nice to have everyone together."

A waitress came over to take their orders then, and conversation started up shortly after. Honey Lemon was telling them all about her latest project for school, occasionally taking a break to gently correct Fred when he said something completely crazy. Hiro and Wasabi joined in like usual, but GoGo kept out of the conversation. That didn't really bother anyone, as they were used to her being so quiet. She did occasionally pop in to make a sarcastic remark or two though.

When their ice cream had been brought to the table, the chatter died down a little. Fred got overly excited about his chocolate-covered bacon ice cream, proclaiming it as the best he'd ever had, and did his best to get Wasabi to try a bite. The beefy guy stubbornly refused, insisting on sticking with his plain vanilla, which Fred said was boring.

They ate their ice cream slowly, chatting between bites, occasionally shoving their bowls across the table to share with each other, with the exception of Wasabi and GoGo, though Hiro did get her to try a bit of his rainbow sherbet ice cream with gummy bears. She pulled a face when she'd tasted it, then quietly went back to her peanut butter and banana ice cream, muttering about crazy people with strange tastes. Hiro laughed at her.

By the time they had finished their ice cream, GoGo seemed considerably more relaxed. She was leaned back against the back of the bench, her right ankle propped up on her left knee, occasionally bouncing her foot. Fred was telling them all a ridiculous story about himself as a child that had something to do with a duck and a pair of underwear that he was wearing on his head like a hat.

Hiro leaned over as Fred was finishing up his story, whispering in GoGo's ear. "Bet he still runs around with his underwear on his head," he told her.

GoGo snorted, then chuckled a little, turning to send him a small smile. She rolled her eyes at him, then slid out of the booth. "Be right back. Bathroom," she told everyone, then walked off. Hiro hoped she hadn't caught the strange looks everyone else was giving her.

When she was gone, the group turned their strange looks toward Hiro. He raised an eyebrow and sank back into the corner of the booth, leaning against the window. "What?" he asked.

Wasabi gave Hiro a you- _know_ -what look. "Did she just…laugh?" he asked.

"And I'm pretty sure she smiled too," Fred added.

Hiro shook his head exasperatedly. "She _can_ smile, you know. And yes, I'm pretty sure that was a laugh. What's the big deal? She's quiet, but she isn't incapable of feeling amusement."

Honey sent stern looks at the other boys, then smiled at Hiro. "We know that. It's just…unusual for her, that's all."

Hiro shrugged. "I guess."

They were all quiet for a minute, then Honey sent Hiro another smile, her eyes lit up with something that Hiro couldn't really decipher. "You're good for her," she said softly. "It's been a slow process, but ever since you came along, she's loosened up a little."

A flush made its way into Hiro's cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Don't be surprised if she joins us more often, by the way. I think I've convinced her. But don't say anything," he added, glancing up to see her making her way out of the bathroom.

"We won't," Honey replied, then quickly started up a conversation again, asking Wasabi about his latest project for class. GoGo eyed Hiro's slightly pink cheeks as she sat back down, but didn't comment on it. After a moment, Hiro noticed that she seemed a bit uncomfortable. He wondered if she actually had seen the looks the others had given her before she'd gotten up. His chest tightened a little. Slowly, he shifted his hand under the table and gently tapped her thigh. GoGo jumped at his touch, then sent him a sharp glance, her face flushing. Hiro smiled softly at her, hoping she got the message. She relaxed a little at his smile, then turned to glance back at Wasabi.

When they finally decided to leave, the others got up quickly, followed by GoGo and Hiro. Before he could say anything, GoGo had snatched his ticket out of his hands and was walking toward the cash register with it. Hiro walked quickly to catch up with her. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, stepping up beside her and attempting to take it back.

"Paying for your ice cream," she said, rolling her eyes as if that was obvious. "I owe you, remember?"

Hiro smiled a little and shook his head. "You don't have to do that. Besides, that was a joke. And I should be the one paying for _your_ ice cream. A lady should never pay for the food."

GoGo scowled at him. "This wasn't a date, genius." She handed the two tickets to the cashier and dug some cash out of her back pocket. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her change, then quickly snatched it up and made her way toward the door. "Besides," she said, pushing the door open and waving to the rest of the group as they walked off, "I'm not exactly a lady."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Fine, a female. You know that's what I meant."

"Yeah, well, whatever," she mumbled, unlocking her bike and reaching up to tug on a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous tick of hers. She took a deep breath, then turned toward Hiro and stared at the sidewalk between them. "Listen, I…I just—" She broke off and sighed, shoving a restless hand through her hair. "Umm, thanks. For— what you said earlier," she said softly.

Hiro crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with GoGo?"

She frowned and punched his shoulder. "I'm serious."

"I know," he said softly, smiling. "You're welcome." He watched her for just a moment, catching a hint of something vulnerable in her posture. He bit his lip; that was completely unusual for her, and he definitely didn't like seeing it. "Hey," he said, getting her attention. "If you don't get back to your usual self, I'm going to have to give you a hug."

GoGo blinked at him, a look that Hiro couldn't quite figure out flashing in her eyes for a moment. Then she blinked once more and tilted her head down, her shoulders just barely drooping. The change was almost imperceptible, but Hiro caught it. His resolve broke; stepping forward, he wrapped her in a tight hug, the first one he'd ever given her. She tensed immediately, her breath hitching. It took her a few seconds, but she eventually relaxed a little, tentatively returning the embrace.

Hiro's heart soared up into his throat, his chest constricting. His stomach was doing those stupid flips again. He hugged GoGo close for a few seconds, then pulled back and sent her a small smile, trying to get his pounding heart to calm down. "Better?" he asked.

GoGo bit the inside of her lip, a blush staining her cheeks, then blew out a puff of air and ran a hand through her hair again. "Yeah," she said quietly, glancing down. "Thanks." She took a deep breath, then turned toward her bike and wheeled it out of the bike rack, pulling her helmet off the handlebars. "See you tomorrow, genius," she muttered, then shoved her helmet on her head and swung herself onto her bike.

Hiro stood there silently and watched her speed off, still trying to calm down his racing heart, wondering what on earth this girl was doing to him.


End file.
